For the inaugural Festival of Eventing in South Africa, creating a sense of connection and excitement wasn’t left to chance. Hosted at the Century City Conference Centre, the event drew 350 event professionals, featured 85 industry speakers from 10 countries, and set new benchmarks across the continent.
Event Options, the event’s official registration and tech partner, knew that the attendee experience had to start well before people walked through the venue doors. To make that happen, they turned to Walls.io and Walls.io Echo.
Instead of waiting for day one to build momentum, Echo allowed the Festival of Events story to unfold weeks earlier. Speakers, sponsors, moderators, and attendees began contributing content to create a digital buzz that grew organically across channels. By the time the event kicked off, the community was already engaged, conversations were flowing, and anticipation was at its peak.
Interview with Larna Jackson, Managing Director at Event Options
We had the pleasure of speaking with Larna Jackson, Managing Director at Event Options, to explore her team’s event marketing strategy and discover how social walls and Walls.io Echo helped boost engagement at the Festival of Eventing.
What was Event Options’ role in shaping the attendee experience at the Festival of Eventing?
Event Options served as the official registration and tech partner for the inaugural Festival of Eventing. Our mission? To craft a seamless journey for attendees from the moment they RSVP’d to the moment they left the venue. We handled the full attendee experience — from pre-event communications and check-in to live engagement on-site.
Why did you bring in a social wall and a pre-event marketing tool like Walls.io Echo?
This wasn’t just about logistics — it was about building community and energy ahead of the event.
We knew from the start that the Festival of Eventing was more than a program; it was a shared experience. To bring that to life, we turned to Walls.io Echo, allowing the buzz to start early and grow organically. Speakers, sponsors, and attendees began posting weeks before the event, creating a digital build-up that spilled into event day.
We wanted attendees to feel part of the event before they even arrived—and Walls.io helped us make that happen.
How did Walls.io Echo help with promotion and building excitement before the event?
Setting up Echo was seamless. We embedded it across our digital touchpoints and encouraged early contributions. The response was incredible, especially for a first-time event. The wall was already alive with content by the time attendees arrived.
Echo was plug-and-play. We integrated it into our emails and website, and the content started flowing. It created a sense of anticipation. People were excited to be part of something that was already happening.
Boost ticket sales and amplify awareness with Walls.io Echo
Here’s why we’d recommend Walls.io Echo to other event marketers:
It starts conversations before the event and keeps them going long after.
It creates a high-visibility, interactive focal point on-site.
It’s easy to set up and simple to use.
It gives sponsors and speakers more exposure — without more signage.
Most importantly, it makes attendees feel like co-creators, not just spectators.
How did you use the social wall and how did you encourage attendees to contribute?
We used a hybrid setup, embedding the wall on our site and featuring it prominently on digital displays at the event.
It became a cycle: post, share, see it live. The social wall created its own momentum.
The Walls.io social wall embedded on the Festival of Eventing website
Our AV partner, Multi-Media, even donated a large plasma screen for high-traffic areas. Attendees were guided to use the event hashtag, and once they saw their posts pop up in real-time, participation skyrocketed.
What kind of reactions did you see from delegates, speakers, or sponsors when their posts appeared on the wall?
Delegates snapped photos of the wall itself. Sponsors appreciated the bonus visibility. Speakers got their messages amplified beyond the stage. It became a viral moment, right there in the venue.
A LinkedIn post by a Festival of Eventing panel morerator with the Walls.io social wall in the background
People were thrilled to see their posts on the big screen. It made them feel seen.
Analytics that prove the impact
The numbers speak for themselves. The Festival of Eventing’s use of Walls.io and Echo generated strong engagement across platforms:
695 posts: collected across Direct Posts, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Native Posts, and Polls.
3,300 visits: from the event website embed and direct visits to the social wall
8.7K interactions: including social media interactions, Walls.io reactions, poll votes, and QR contributions.
95% positive sentiment: with only 4% neutral and 0% negative mentions.
Social wall statistics for the Festival of Eventing
There was a clear spike in activity leading up to and during the Festival, showing how pre-event buzz seamlessly transitioned into on-site participation. The Walls.io Echo pre-event social media amplification campaigns delivered steady views and shares, helping build organic reach before the event even began.
Attendee campaign performance:
159 pageviews generated from attendee-facing Echo campaigns
49 shares—showing strong willingness to amplify content
522 clicks on shared posts (high engagement-to-view ratio)
10.7x viral boost, meaning attendee content reached more than 10 times beyond its initial audience
Speaker campaign performance:
88 pageviews on Echo speaker campaigns
42 shares, demonstrating speakers actively promoted their participation
240 clicks, amplifying session visibility and reach
5.7x viral boost, expanding exposure significantly beyond the direct audience
The analytics confirmed what attendees felt: a community-driven experience that stretched far beyond the venue.
From the first post to lasting impact
The Festival of Eventing was a shared experience, online and offline. By embedding a social wall into the digital journey and activating Walls.io Echo for pre-event engagement, they transformed passive audiences into active participants.
Whether it was a sponsor delighted to see their logo on the big screen, a speaker thrilled by amplified reach, or an attendee snapping selfies of their live post, Walls.io helped make the Festival of Eventing feel personal, dynamic, and unforgettable.
As Larna Jackson, Managing Director at Event Options, puts it, “if you want to stretch your event’s impact, Echo and Walls.io is a no-brainer.”
